The Last Sunset
by Emma Sparrow
Summary: When a scientist approaches Eric and claims that he has unlocked the key to a formula that will vaccinate vampires from the ill-effects that sunlight brings upon them, Sookie is called upon to put her telepathy to the test to see if the man is genuine.
1. PART 1

**STORY SUMMARY:** When a scientist approaches Eric and claims that he has unlocked the key to a formula that will vaccinate vampires from the ill-effects that sunlight brings upon them, Sookie is called upon to put her telepathy to the test to see if the man is genuine. Will he really be able to give the vampires the ability to walk through daylight unharmed? Or should this scientific avenue be left unexplored?

**TIME LINE:** This story is set sometime after book 4 rather then any episode of the show (as only season one has been aired here!).

**STORY RATED FOR LATER PARTS WHICH ****WILL**** CONTAIN ****MATURE**** CONTENT!!**

**AUTHOR NOTE:** There will probably be about three parts to this story altogether, though maybe more if it is really needed. I really can't estimate it at the moment! As usual, I would love to know what you all think; reviews are always great to read. :-) I thank you in advance.

**T-H-E---L-A-S-T---S-U-N-S-E-T----------------PART 1**

I was relieved that I only had to work until six and that it had been fairly steady in Merlotte's that day so that the time had passed by quickly. I was planning to go home afterwards and take a nice long bath then maybe read a book for a while before getting an early night. I'd felt so worn out lately that I strongly believed that I deserved some extra sleep.

For once, I'd had a fairly drama-free time this week. I hadn't even seen Bill so I guessed that he must have gone away on one of his trips someplace, working on, or selling copies of his vampire database. But I was glad that I hadn't run into him. My heart was still very sore from his betrayal, and I was hoping that time would be a healer for me.

As my shift came to an end, I strolled out back to Sam's office so that I could retrieve my purse. Sam was sat behind his desk when I entered the room. I hadn't even realised that he was in there, otherwise I would have knocked first as opposed to just waltzing in.

Sam Merlotte was not only my boss, but a really good friend of mine, and it was always a welcoming sight to see him smile at me warmly.

"Hey, Sookie." he said in a pleasant tone, "Finished now, huh?"

"Yes. To be quite honest, I'll be glad to get on home and get some rest." as I said this, he handed me my purse from where I'd stashed it away in his desk.

"Been a quiet week for you, hasn't it." it wasn't a question but an observation. He always seemed to know what was going on in my life.

"Sure has. No vampires with problems. It sure makes a nice change." I smiled back at him.

"Well, you go enjoy your evening. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Sam."

I made a quick exit after that. As much as I liked Sam, I didn't really feel like engaging in small-talk right now, not to mention the fact that once when we'd been in his office alone, we'd ended up kissing which is not really an ideal situation to get into with your boss. Besides, Sam's friendship meant so much to me that I didn't want to jeopardise it by acting out hormonal impulses that I'd regret later.

Without further ado, I went out into to the parking lot and got into my car, slumping in my seat for a moment with a sigh before turning the key in the ignition.

I drove down the familiar roads and turned into my driveway, the tires crunching on the gravel before I came to a stop.

I headed straight for the bathroom once I was inside, plugged the bath and turned the taps on, then poured in some bubble bath which immediately started frothing happily.

I stripped off my clothes and climbed in once the level of the water was high enough and turned off the taps. The water had such a soothing effect on my tired limbs, that I laid back with my eyes closed and stayed motionless, enjoying it's effects for a while.

Eventually, I scrubbed myself and washed my hair. I felt so comfortable after that, that I could have easily stayed in there forever, but I was starting to wrinkle up so I reluctantly got out.

I dried myself off, put on my robe, then went into the bedroom to dry off my hair. Once that was done, I sat at the foot of my bed and brushed it through thoroughly making sure that it was completely tangle-free. I paused for a moment, remembering how Bill used to enjoy doing this for me when I was seeing him. It seemed like such a long time ago to me now, and a lot had happened since then. I shook the memory away with a shudder. I needed to stop thinking about the past. I needed to stop thinking about Bill. The bastard had as good as used me, anyway.

Shirking my own failed romance, I made my way into the living room where I found the romance novel I had started on the night before, to find out if fictional characters would have more luck with such things. I settled on the couch, my feet up and knees brought up in front of me, and resumed it from the book-marked page.

After about half an hour of getting submerged into the plot, there was a knock on the front door. Damn it! I should have known that someone would eventually disturb my peaceful evening.

I reluctantly put my book down and plodded over to the door in my slippers. I opened the door, getting ready to tell whoever it was to go away, as politely as I could of course, but the sight of Eric stood there looking, well, looking _totally_ gorgeous, stopped any of those words from leaving my mouth.

"Hello Sookie." he said, his voice as smooth as silk. My porch light illuminated the blond-haired Viking vampire as he stood against the backdrop of the night. He was wearing blue jeans and a black T shirt which hugged his muscles.

"Eric." I said simply, "I wasn't really expecting to see anyone here tonight. I was going to go to bed early, so whatever it is that you want, I'm afraid it's gonna have to wait." Okay, so that may have come out a little ruder then I'd intended, but hey. Wasn't I entitled to some time-out?

Eric looked me up and down then smiled as his eyes locked back onto mine. "Bed? At this time? Would you like some company?" his smile turned into a mischievous grin, his eyes hopeful.

"Eric! I'm not in the mood to listen to that kind of talk!" I snapped. Though truth be told, there was enough about Eric to tempt me into at least secretly longing to have answered 'yes'.

"Well I'm very sorry to hear that, Sookie." he said looking quite disappointed.

"Why are you here?" I said changing the subject as quickly as I could.

Eric's expression then turned serious, and I actually felt quite surprised at the sudden transformation.

"I need your help. Something very important has come up." he said.

"Well what?" I said, hoping he'd hurry up and get to the point.

"Would you invite me in first so that I might explain?" he asked.

I really should have refused, but Eric's presence was so powerfully overwhelming, I couldn't seem to say no.

"Come in." I said, and Eric walked through the door as I stood back to let him pass.

We walked through to the living room and we sat on the couch.

"So now will you tell me what's going on?" I asked.

"Last night, a man came to Fangtasia to speak to me. A scientist." Eric answered. "What he told me was very interesting to say the least." he paused thoughtfully for a long moment before continuing. "He claims to have worked out a formula from which he can develop a vaccine. A vaccine for vampires."

"What kind of vaccine?" I asked, my interest suddenly piqued.

"He believes that when a vampire is injected with it, they will be immune to the effects of sunlight." he said this cautiously.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, hardly able to digest what I was hearing. "So y'all would be able to go out in the day? That would be..._amazing_!"

"It would certainly change things radically. That is of course, if he is telling me the truth. That is why I need your help. He has agreed to meet me again at the club tonight, and I would very much like you to sit in on our meeting and see if you can delve into his thoughts, see if you can tell if this is genuine. As you know, not everyone has warmed up to the idea of sharing the world with us vampires, so it could easily be some sort of trick. Though to what end, I cannot guess."

I thought about this carefully for a moment. I could completely understand why Eric wanted to check up on this guy some more. And I have to admit, I was now very curious to find out more myself. "Okay." I agreed.

Eric smiled and I was relieved to see the seriousness disappear from his features. "Of course, I will pay you for your time."

"Whatever." I said casually, "I'll go get changed." I stood up and started heading for my bedroom.

"Shout if you need a hand." I heard Eric say behind me, and I couldn't help but giggle a little once I was out of his line of sight.

I quickly discarded my robe, pulled on some thongs and jeans, a bra and a navy knit-top, then slid my feet into some black pumps before re-joining Eric in the living room.

As Eric had flown over to my house, I drove the both of us to Shreveport in my car. Once we arrived at Fangtasia and had parked up, I could see that the club was already buzzing with activity; Vampires and Fang-bangers were arriving at the entrance thick and fast for an evening of fun.

Of course, we went in through the staff entrance, finding Pam just inside the door. She was wearing a flowing black gothic gown for the purpose of pleasing the human patrons of the club.

"Professor Simmons has already arrived." she informed Eric, "He is waiting in your office."

"Thank you, Pam." said Eric as we walked past her.

As we walked into the office, Professor Simmons looked up at us from the guest chair. He was a stout looking man wearing a charcoal suit. He had a rapidly receding hairline which was greying, a thick moustache and dark-rimmed glasses which were precariously perched on the end of his nose.

"Thank you for coming to see me again, Professor." Eric said as he took a seat behind his desk. I sat on the other guest chair next to the professor. He gave me a questioning look before turning to address Eric.

"Mr. Northman, I didn't realise that we would have company." he said abruptly with a strong British accent.

I felt this to be rude, but I kept my mouth shut.

"This is Sookie Stackhouse, a trusted business associate of mine." Eric said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure you do trust her, sir, but you understand, when we spoke last night, you promised one hundred percent confidentiality pertaining to the nature of my project."

"Excuse me, professor." I said sharply, no longer able to bite my tongue, "I can assure you that I will not speak a word about you or your project to anyone outside of this room."

The professor stared at me blankly for a few moments, summing me up with his cold eyes. Of course, he didn't know that I was a telepath and could read his thoughts, and at this very moment he was wondering what a woman as simple looking as me could possibly understand from the conversation that he was about to have with Eric.

"If you remember, professor, you have asked me to fund the project, therefore I hold a certain amount of control over it. This in mind, if Miss Stackhouse cannot listen to what you have to say, then I shall ask you to leave and never come back. Do _you_ understand?" Eric said this sternly, allowing his fangs to run out threateningly.

Now I could pick up a different train of thought from the professor. Fear in two different ways. Not only was he frightened about falling out with, and possibly being killed by a powerful vampire, but he also feared that his project would come to a dead end without Eric's financial back-up.

Of course, as money is always the deciding factor in most cases, for humans and vampires alike, he decided to co-operate though he still glanced wearily back at me for a moment before once again speaking to the waiting, intimidating vampire.

"So be it. If that is how it must be, then I guess I have no choice," he said with a defeated sigh.

I guessed that I would just have to settle with his reluctant tones, after all, Eric had him backed into a corner, and he knew it. He certainly wasn't the first person that I'd come across who had underestimated me upon the first impression, and sadly, wouldn't be the last.

"Maybe you could tell Miss Stackhouse everything that you've already explained to me in order to bring her up to speed," Eric asked the professor.

Much to my surprise, without further protest, the professor turned in his chair to address me directly, "As I was explaining to Mr Northman last night, I have discovered a formula that will allow me to create a vaccine which when administered to the vampire population, will protect them from the effects of sunlight and other ill-effects that they would almost definitely suffer as a result of exposing themselves to the day.

"It started as a theory based upon the process of photosynthesis; that all living things, wether animal or plant, absorb the very light which can aid growth and even create energy.

"I have simply discovered the way in which to completely block out this process, rendering the sun's effects harmless to vampires."

As the professor continued to explain the scientific essentials, which I could luckily just about grasp the concept of, I sat tall, looking confident as I listened to his thoughts at the same time.

I'd long since learnt to be able to listen to what a person said out loud and what they were saying in their thoughts, all at the same time, and without giving them any inclination of what I was doing. Telepaths _had_ to be multi-taskers. It came with the territory.

From what I could tell, the professor was being quite genuine. He figured that once the vaccine was ready for sale, the vampires would pay a pretty penny for it, lining his pockets for the rest of his days.

He was even thinking of the retirement home that he would one day buy. Somewhere quiet out in the suburbs, surrounded by a huge garden and the least amount of neighbours possible.

And of course, there were all the fancy cars that he longed for, none of which would be within his financial reach with the current status of his back account.

He knew that going into businesses with Eric would bathe him in rewards, and how glad he was of being the one to discover the key to aid the vampires. Though quite scared of them himself, he knew that their longer years had meant that the vampires had learnt how to do well for themselves. Maybe they could even ensure his protection should the rest of the human race learn what he'd done to help them.

"Of course," the professor was now saying, "there are other elements that have had to be factored in to the equation, right down to skin pigmentation to optical responses."

"Excuse me," I asked feeling the need to interrupt with an important question, "but has this ever been tested?"

The professor shifted uncomfortably under Eric's intense glare, looking quickly from me to him. Sweat had been building on his brow throughout his explanations, and now it rolled relentlessly down his ruddy face, "No, it hasn't. That is one particular aspect that I was hoping to discuss with you before we are through here this evening."

Eric raised an eyebrow at the professor, "Please, go on."

"Once the vaccine is ready, we shall of course need to test it on a real subject. As it will be the first trial, there are risks involved. Though I am confident I have a winning formula, it may be that it will need to be tweaked further to gain better results."

"In other words, professor, the only way in which we can be one hundred percent certain of it's success, is if one of our kind braves the sunlight after being injected not knowing if it is in fact, a suicide mission?" Eric asked, his tone remaining cool despite the seriousness of what was being discussed.

"As with all such things, there is no way to see all results or even possible side effects until we just go ahead and try it. It is indeed unfortunate, but very necessary.

"The subject would also need to be timed in order to see how long the effects from one dose would last. I believe I have it worked out to exactly a day so far. Maybe in the future with more research, we can develop a longer-lasting potency."

Eric stared silently at the man for a few moments, obviously digesting what he'd been told, while I continued to listen in to the professors head, but there was only what I had already heard. I really couldn't find a fault with him, apart from his initial rude conduct towards me.

Suddenly, Eric stood and started to pace within the small space behind his desk, "Well professor, I shall of course need a little longer to decide, though I believe I'd be able to find a volunteer test subject should we choose to proceed.

"Miss Stackhouse and I shall discuss this further when you leave, and hopefully we will have an answer for you soon."

A nervous smile spread across the professor's face, and just as I thought that his glasses might just slip off his nose, he reached a finger up to push them back, "Thank you, Mr Northman. And may I just ask. The laboratory, will we be able to set it up here if we go ahead? I would of course feel safer in secure surroundings."

"Yes. It would be set up here. If the answer is yes to your project, I will of course want to keep a close eye on you myself. You are not the only one here with trust issues." was Eric's response.

**T-H-E---L-A-S-T---S-U-N-S-E-T----------------PART 1**

"So?" Eric asked me once the professor had made his exit from the office, "Does he speak the truth?"

I met the closeness of Eric's gaze. He had sat himself on the chair that the professor had just vacated and had scooted it close to me.

"From what I could tell, he is looking forward to the money the vaccine will make for him. He seems to be sure that it will work, in fact, he'd be too frightened to trick vampires. He knows a successful vaccine will bring him far more rewards." I told him.

"Hmmm...." was Eric's simple reply. He looked away from me and gazed upwards thoughtfully, holding his chin in his right hand, his finger tip tapping on his lips as he thought this over even more.

"I honestly think that you can trust him." I added after a moments silence.

"It would certainly be good to walk in the sun again..." Eric said, though it was merely a thought said out loud by accident, from which I could tell meant that Eric had already made up his mind.

"So does this mean you want to go through with this?" I asked, curious to find out for sure.

Eric met my eyes once more and delivered his answer, "Yes. I really think I do."


	2. PART 2

**AUTHOR NOTE:** Thank you for the lovely reviews you have left me so far, hopefully you will all enjoy this second part as well.

**WARNING**: **Part 2 contains descriptions of a sexual nature.**

**T-H-E---L-A-S-T---S-U-N-S-E-T----------------PART 2**

As instructed by Eric, I checked in on Professor Simmons between my shifts at Merlottes over the next few days.

As he was obviously unable to observe Simmons himself during daylight hours, Eric had entrusted me to liaise with the scientist while he went about setting up his lab in the basement of Fangtasia.

Eric had only allowed one other to know what was happening, and that was Pam. He didn't want any other vampires knowing about any of this until he was sure that the vaccine could be a success.

A whole array of different equipment had been delivered once Eric had agreed to the purchase of each individual piece, and Simmons was already getting busy arranging these to his liking, plugging everything in ready.

Of course, I hadn't got a clue what all these strange looking machines were, though I thought I recognised a few of them from watching shows such as CSI.

Though the professor was reluctant to have me hanging around at first, he seemed get over it once he had his hands on the expensive new tools. He certainly looked right at home amongst the work benches, wearing his bright white lab coat. He was like a child set loose in a toy factory.

One of my jobs was to continue listening into the professor's thoughts in case I could pick up on any sign of deception. Eric was still being very cautious, and I couldn't blame him. A lot was at stake.

But the professor's thoughts stayed consistent with what I had already heard, and I actually started feeling bored at the constant mental ramblings about the make, model and horsepower of his future cars. At one point I had to suppress a laugh; he was thinking that once he became stinking rich and a trusted colleague to powerful vampires, he might at last become more attractive to women.

I really didn't think that all the money in the world could make that much difference for him in that department, but who was I to quash somebody's hope if that hope was all they had?

Today when I'd arrived after my shift at Merlottes, I sat myself in the brightness of the lab at an empty desk with a book so that I could read a little between listening to the professor's thoughts. A state-of-the art computer had been brought to put there, but Simmons was more interested in the other equipment for the time being, so he hadn't even started unpacking it from it's box yet.

Simmons still hadn't been told that I was a telepath, so Eric had told him that I was just supervising the set-up and making sure that all of the equipment was delivered and signed for with no problems. The professor didn't seem to suspect anything, so all was going to plan.

I would certainly feel better once everything was ready to go and the first dose of the vaccine was ready to test. Eric had promised to pay me well for my part in this, but I would have sacrificed some of that extra money for a little me time.

I was exhausted splitting my time between here and Merlottes, and then of course, as soon as the sun went down, I had to report straight to Eric. I hadn't even had time to change clothes, and I was still wearing my Merlottes t shirt and the black skirt that I'd teamed it with.

Eric. I was still conflicted about my feelings for him. He simply oozed the sexiness that I craved, but I couldn't let myself go down that road again. _Could I_?

I hated myself for wanting him so much and for thinking erotic thoughts about him when I was alone in bed at night, wishing that I could feel his strong body pleasure me to the point of eruption.

It was wrong to want somebody that much, but since our previous physical encounters when he had lost his memory, I'd been unable to shut such thoughts out completely.

Up until that point in my life, I had never imagined that a woman's body could be provoked and awakened in such a way. I felt myself tingle and moisten at the very thought of him.

I had to let this go. I couldn't give in to him again. If I did, I would always be to weak to the power he would hold over me.

I closed my eyes and let out a long, frustrated sigh, trying to free my mind of him, though I knew it was fruitless.

"Ah!" the professor was suddenly exclaiming happily, bringing me back to the real world. I opened my eyes and swivelled my chair around so that I could see what he was up to.

He was rubbing his hands together in anticipation, scanning the room, "I believe I am ready to start producing the vaccine!"

"That's great." I said trying to sound enthusiastic, though I was way too tired to be completely excited.

Simmons ignored my comment anyway, and instead, he collected a few bits and pieces from a stainless steel shelf that was above a newly installed hand basin. From where I was sat, I could just about see him remove a couple of test tubes, and what looked to be a collection of different coloured chemicals in small glass bottles.

This is where my lack of scientific knowledge would render my observations completely useless. Simmons' thoughts were now dominated by the names of elements and ingredients that he would be compiling to make a start on the first stage of the vaccine. I didn't understand any of it, it may as well have been a different language, but it sounded impressive enough.

I decided that I would go back to reading my book, if I continued to listen to _all_ the professors thoughts, I would just wind up getting my own mind in a muddle.

But the book only ended up making me think of Eric again. The main character, Ethan, was a real bad-boy shoot 'em up type, but he was as irresistible as a perfect dream to Francine (her words, not mine.) Every moment she was spending by his side, was a moment spent upon the edge of a knife, exciting but fatal upon a wrong move.

A bad habit. He was as addicting as cigarettes are to smokers; they know it is likely it will give them cancer and kill them, but they just can't live without the pleasure that it gives to them at the time. They had made the choice to risk everything just for those moments.

That was definitely me and Eric to a degree. But could I risk the rest of my life just to have him in _this_ moment?

He'd have the rest of his long existence stretched out in front of him, and I'd be left with limited time to live with the consequences of my choices, praying that god would forgive me in time to grant me a place in heaven.

As if he could hear my thoughts, the very man in question strode purposefully into the room. It didn't help me much that he was looking as good as ever in a red shirt and black jeans. I quickly looked down at my watch, realising that it was after sun down. The time had flown by a lot quicker then it had seemed.

Eric first walked across to Simmons and observed him in silence for a few moments.

"I see you have everything set up now." Eric stated, "Is all the equipment to your liking?"

"Simmons looked up from a huge microscope, "Yes, Mr Northman, it is absolutely perfect. In fact, I have just began on the first stage of our..._project_."

_Yes, and if only that fucker, Carter, could see me now!_ I suddenly heard the professor think to himself. This I would have to tell Eric about, just in case. Up until now, no specific names had come up in the professor's thoughts. At least none that he seemed to feel he'd triumphed over.

Knowing how important any information could be to this situation, I stood up and made my way over to Eric's side, "We need to go over that paperwork." I told him, making up an excuse to get us out of the room and away from Simmons so that we could talk privately.

Eric tore his gaze away from the professor, and stared at me for a moment, realisation soon setting on his features. "Of course," he said playing along, "We must go to my office, I am sure that we can leave everything here in the capable hands of the professor."

Simmons smiled at the both of us, "Yes, of course. Now that I have made a start, I will probably stay back late. After all, we don't want to waste any time making progress."

Eric returned the smile, then we left the basement and headed up the stairs. Half-way up, Eric suddenly stopped and pushed me back against the wall. "Have you any idea how much I'd like to fuck you right now?" he said in a seductive silky tone as his eyes took in the shortness of my skirt.

I guess that I shouldn't have felt surprised, this wasn't the first time that he'd randomly propositioned me. It was just really bad timing, not only for the fact that I'd just been thinking about not thinking about him, and that I also needed to tell him about the professors latest thoughts.

"Eric..." I started to say, but he held a finger against my lips to shush me.

I found myself paralysed with desire as he pressed himself up against me. I could feel his erection straining against it's denim cage, teasing me with the possibilities of it's experienced abilities.

His free hand was soon underneath my skirt exploring my thigh, and getting further to it's goal. He had soon strayed past the elastic on my panties, making me gasp as one of his fingers found my clit and took no shame in immediately stimulating it.

Then the finger used to keep me quiet slipped down, the hand grasping at my right breast, massaging thoroughly through the fabric of my shirt.

Eric leaned his face to mine and our lips met hungrily. I had lost control. I couldn't fight this. I allowed his tongue to play with mine, enjoying his taste. Enjoying the instant that he slid his finger deep inside of me and took up a rhythm that sent ripples of pleasure through my entire body.

Eric's lips then left mine as he began to slowly kiss his way down my neck, his fangs lightly trailing over my skin. I let out a loud breathless moan as the feelings intensified, savouring each passing second.

Though in my heart I knew that this whole darn situation was as crazy as could be, I found my own hands straying, making the grab for the zipper that would free that which would fully satisfy me.

Just as I was about to take him into my hand, I heard the click of heals at the top of the stairs. Eric had heard it too. He pulled away from me slightly, and we looked up to see Pam standing there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise that you would be having a ...private meeting." she said this very casually as if it were every day that she stumbled across a fellow vampire giving a human a good old lower body examination half way down a staircase at the most inappropriate of times.

Since becoming acquainted with vampires, it had never ceased to amaze me about their ability not to be embarrassed about such things. Eric remained quite calm, but I was absolutely mortified that I'd been seen in such a way.

I discretely removed Eric's hand from my panties, unavoidably gasping again as his finger left me, and proceeded to try and straighten up my skirt.

As I was busy looking down, I heard Pam's heals again, as she walked away and left us. Whatever she had wanted was obviously not urgent enough to bother us with. Eric chuckled when he saw how flustered I was. I felt my cheeks burn up.

"Eric, I shouldn't have let this happen." I said finally finding some conviction, ashamed of my behaviour.

"Why, Sookie? It is only natural that our bodies should want to join as one." he tried to lean in for another kiss, but I managed to push past him, ending up a couple of steps higher.

"Look, there is something important that I have to tell you about Professor Simmons." I said quickly changing the subject, "I knew that you'd probably want to know this straight away."

Eric's expression went suddenly business-like again, though I could tell that he was disappointed with the abrupt way I had stopped what was happening. I'm sure he would have easily continued our previous activity should I have let him have half the chance.

"After you'd come into the lab, I heard him think of a name." I started to explain, "His exact thought was "If only that fucker Carter could see me now." That's all I heard, but what if this Carter knows something about the vaccine?"

Eric's eyes narrowed and I didn't need to be a telepath to work out that the warning bells were sounding in his head. Not that I could hear Eric's thoughts, anyway.

"I guess that I shall have to have a few words with Simmons. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough to him that I was not to be crossed." he said.

Before I could say any more, Eric was already headed back down the stairs in flash and pushed the door to the lab open so forcefully, I thought that it might break free from the frame.

I followed behind, and as I walked through the door I was greeted by the sight of Eric slamming a a very frightened professor against the far wall, narrowly missing some of the shiny new lab equipment.

Eric reached his hands around Simmons' throat but didn't appear to be squeezing too tightly, at least for now. "Who is Carter?" he demanded.

The professor's face was turning beetroot red under the pressure, his whole body shook with fear.

"I...I...used to work with someone of that name" he stammered.

"Does he know of our project here?"

"No." Simmons gulped.

"If you are lying to me, I will have no choice but to kill you." Eric threatened, his fangs bared making clear the warning he implied.

"I'm not lying, I swear! I havn't even seen him for months! He was nothing but a colleague whilst we worked at a medical research centre. Please, you must believe me!" Simmons begged desperately.

Eric momentarily let his gaze fall from the professor, and instead looked over to me. I knew he was waiting for me to pick up on any thoughts that were now going through Simmons' head so that I might be able to indicate any deception.

As well as thinking Eric was paranoid, Simmons was going over the things that he would never get to do if he was to die at the vampire's hands. He didn't know how Eric had even known Carter's name, but he was wishing that he could prove that the man had nothing to do with him any more.

They had once been good friends and had come over to the States from England together, hoping to they would have a better chance at improving their scientific endeavours with the better equipped facilities. But Carter had had a big drink problem which had started to affect his work, turning him into a stranger; a useless bitter shell of a man who could no longer cope with reality, let alone concentrate on his work. Simmons was remembering how he had grown tired of the younger man's behaviour, and had took off to pursue other avenues. He hadn't contacted Carter since.

He was wondering if his shot at making it rich was over. All those things that he'd wanted to spend the money on...

"Hes telling the truth." I said. I was quite convince of this now, after all, if anyone else had been in on the project, I realised that I would have picked it up even before now. Even if Simmons knew about my ability, it would still have been impossible for him to hide everything.

Simmons managed to glance quickly my way, looking suspicious of me. I suddenly felt a little stupid for wasting Eric's time with this. Apparently all Simmons was guilty of, was wanting to make more money then he could count.

Eric met the professor's wide eyes once more, then let go of him. He continued to stare as the man stumbled clumsily away from him and found a stool to recover on.

"Though nothing has come of this, you will at least now know how to expect me to react should you try to deceive me any time in the future." Eric told him.

Simmons wiped a hand across his sweaty brow, nearly knocking his glasses off, "S...so that's it? You want me to continue with my work?" he asked surprised.

"Yes." Eric replied, "But you must understand that we will be keeping a closer watch on your progress from now on."

Simmons looked utterly exasperated, but had no choice but to go along with Eric's demands, "Very well, I have nothing to hide."

"Let us hope so." Eric smiled in an almost sinister way, "I have to invest a lot of faith in you, professor. The development of the vaccine is a huge risk and we must make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Those of my kind will need complete reassurance that it can be relied upon one hundred percent."

"Of course, Mr Northman. No one understands that more then I. When we succeed, this will be one of the most important scientific advancements of the century."

Eric turned away from the professor and started making his way over to me, silently gesturing or me to follow him out, but just as we were about to make our exit, Simmons spoke again.

"Just one question, if I may, Mr Northman." he said cautiously, his voice still shaky.

Eric turned around to face him once more, "Yes?"

"How is it that Sookie knew that I was telling the truth before, when you were doubting me?" I don't know why he couldn't have had enough courtesy to address me directly, but I stood there patiently.

Eric smiled at me before answering the professors question, "She is simply a good judge of character. My very own human lie detector."

Simmons looked even more confused at the cryptic answer, but simply shrugged, unsteadily got up from where he was seated, and got back to his work.

This time Eric and I made it up the stairs without our bodies getting tangled together in a hormonal frenzy.

We headed to Eric's office, the bass from loud music reverberating and thudding through the walls around us. Of course, the club would be open now and filling up with the usual suspects.

Before we got through the door, I felt the need to apologise to Eric.

"I'm sorry about all of that. I didn't mean to waste your time when it turned out there wasn't anything wrong after all." I said.

"Sookie, you don't need to apologise to me. You did exactly what I asked you to do. You heard something that could easily have turned out to be a threat, and it needed to be checked out." Eric said smiling.

"Yeah well I think hes gonna work out that I can hear his thoughts now." I sighed.

"I don't doubt that one day he will have to be told about your gift, but until then, we carry on the way we have been."

Once we were in the office, I told Eric exactly what I had heard Simmons thinking about Carter and why I was sure it was the truth.

After hearing this, he stared at me thoughtfully for a few moments before he spoke, "You are very valuable to me, Sookie. And not just because of your gift."

He then leaned back further in his chair, "You look tired. You should go home and get some rest. I can check in on the professor myself now until he leaves for the night."

I did wonder if I should leap into a discussion about our unfinished business from the staircase before I left, but decided against it. I just wanted to get home and curl up in bed.

I guessed that both Eric and myself would just have to wait to see where it might lead us. And I would just have to decide where I _wanted_ it to lead us.


	3. PART 3

**AUTHOR NOTE: **Thank you all again for reading my story - I've never had so many people sign up for alerts! I am really flattered! I only hope that I've managed to write a satisfying enough part three for you all.

Though originally this was only going to be a three part story, I am nowhere near the end yet, so probably another couple more parts to go before it's complete!

After reading your reviews, I noticed that a couple of you had questions regarding the time line, so heres a recap. This story is set after book 4, Dead To The World, though doesn't have a strict slot within the rest of the books time lines. And to be honest, it is irrelevant if it is before or after Eric regained his memory of his time with Sookie, as I'm not going to mention enough to bring that within my story, to be honest.

Anyway I'll stop going on and give you what you've really come here for - PART 3!

**T-H-E---L-A-S-T---S-U-N-S-E-T----------------PART 3**

Professor Simmons had told us that the first batch of the vaccine would be ready in about a week. He had explained that the process took that long due to its components needing time to 'marinate' together. I think that he used that particular word due to the fact that he had found out that I was a waitress. He probably figured that it was the only way that I'd be able to understand what he meant.

Again, Eric had told me to come by Fangtasia and check in on Simmons as often and for as long as I could. I kept reminding myself that it wouldn't be that much longer before my spare time would become my own again, and I'd finally be able to relax.

It would also be better to spend some time away from Eric. At every opportunity he'd had, he had made it quite clear that he wanted me. I really needed to have a good long think about our situation, and I couldn't do that here in the confines of the basement lab.

Though the process took so long, Eric had asked Simmons to only make a small amount of the vaccine at first. They had agreed that once it had been tested and was successful, they would go into full production.

Whilst Simmons was waiting for some of the various machines to finish the multitude of tasks that he'd left them to do, he had been sat at the computer, which he'd finally gotten around to setting up, typing busily for great lengths of time. He was keeping detailed information on there, recording all of his progress for future reference.

**T-H-E---L-A-S-T---S-U-N-S-E-T----------------PART 3**

Finally after the long week had passed, I yet again made my way over to Fangtasia in what I hoped would be the last of these visits. I had worked a later shift at Merlotte's today, so Eric had agreed I could come by after I'd had a few hours to myself. He had warned that I could be in for a very late night, saying that he'd call me in earlier only if Simmons had completed his work before the estimated time.

The professor had been working there all day without a break, keen to finish everything off in time. But I enjoyed the little extra time that I'd had by going home to take a relaxing bath and change clothes. I even managed to have something substantial to eat without having to rush it down.

It was nice to actually be able to make myself a little more presentable rather then just turn up bedraggled after waiting on tables all day. I'd even decided to wear my hair down and wear a nice red dress that I'd had stowed away in my closet for god knows how long, not having had much opportunity to use it.

The club was in full swing when I arrived, loud, energetic dance music filtered through the speakers pleasing the patrons.

Pam let me go straight through to the office where I found Eric at his desk shuffling through some paperwork restlessly.

When he saw me entering the room he looked up and smiled, obviously pleased by how I looked as he scanned his eyes over me from head to toe, "Sookie, I'm glad that you are here at last."

"I'm always here lately." I sighed, sitting myself down on the chair opposite him.

"Well, this is an important night. I am sure that you will be as happy as I am to witness the birth of a new era for my kind."

"Of course I am, but I'd also be happy to catch some more sleep." I admitted honestly.

"I can see that you have looked worn out lately, but you must know how grateful I am to you for all that you have been doing for me here. This couldn't have happened without your help."

"I just hope that the vaccine will work."

"As do I. It really would be something, wouldn't it? I have almost forgotten what the world feels like in the light of day." he said sighing.

I wasn't surprised that he'd forgotten, Eric had been a vampire for a thousand years. I couldn't imagine having to exist only in the dark for that long. It would be enough to drive anyone crazy.

Before we could exchange any more words, the phone on the desk rang out. Eric answered, and I listened to his side of the short conversation, "Yes, Simmons? It is? Sookie and myself will be right down."

After hanging up, Eric met my eyes, the two simple words that followed, making his face light up, "It's ready."

**T-H-E---L-A-S-T---S-U-N-S-E-T----------------PART 3**

Me and Eric made our way down to the lab. I could practically feel the excitement that he radiated as we walked through the door to join Simmons.

The professor was standing proud over a glass beaker, beaming at the sparkling, light blue coloured contents over the rim of his glasses.

Eric approached the work bench and peered closely into the liquid.

"Well, here it is." Simmons said happily, he was almost bouncing up and down with the pride of his achievement.

"You have done well, professor. This truly is a night we will always remember."

"Yes, well, we should test it as soon as possible, of course."

"Yes. You are right. I have a test subject waiting for my call. I havn't yet told him the exact nature of what we are trying to achieve, only that he may have to make a sacrifice for the progress of our kind. He is brave and loyal, and has already agreed to go through with it. Do we have to administer the vaccine now, or just before the sun rises?" Eric enquired.

"Well I should imagine that our best bet would be to wait until the last possible moment. After all, we do have to keep in consideration the time limit that the dose will have."

"Of course, that makes sense." Eric responded.

Simmons then removed a huge syringe from a drawer under the workbench. Me and Eric watched closely as he removed it from the sterile packaging and stuck the needle into the liquid, sucking some of it up.

"That's quite a lot to inject." I said noticing the amount he filled it with. I was quite sure that no vaccines for humans would contain that much.

"Yes, well it's quite necessary, I'm afraid. I've calculated the amount of the dose very carefully, deciding that it would be wise to administer a little extra, too, just in case." Simmons stated as he ejected a tiny amount from the syringe to expel any air, "But with more time and research, I will no doubt be able to develop the same strength in a smaller volume, and as I've previously mentioned, hopefully an even stronger one for a longer-lasting effect."

And I could hear from the professor's thoughts that he would dedicate himself entirely to achieve just that.

Now that we were so close to seeing if this whole thing would actually work, I found myself feeling excited about it again, the boredom of the whole set-up and waiting time almost forgotten.

"I will call our 'test subject', Damen, and let him know when he should join us." Eric said as he started to remove his cell phone from the pocket of his black pants, straightening up his blue silk shirt as he did so.

"Yes," Simmons agreed, "and I'll refrigerate the vaccine until we are ready to..."

But before Simmons had finished what he was going to say, the door suddenly flew open startling the three of us. We turned to see a man standing there in a leather jacket, a huge grin on his pale, stubble covered face. A curtain of wavy brown hair hung down to his shoulders, his whole appearance dishevelled.

I had already picked up on a few of his thoughts, and I knew we were in for some trouble.

"Who are you?" Eric demanded as he started towards the man in a flash, but from the professor's thoughts, I already knew before it was spoken aloud. Ronnie Carter.

The man reeked of over-confidence, and for some reason didn't seem to be all that bothered by the huge Viking vampire's threatening fangs as he closed in on him.

"Oh, I'm just a friend of the good professor here." Carter said casually in a Scottish accent.

"Carter!" Simmons hissed, gripping tightly around the syringe he was still holding at his side.

Eric snarled angrily and turned to face Simmons, "I thought he didn't know of our project!"

Carter still didn't seem at all intimidated by Eric, instead, when the vampires eyes had been diverted, he side-stepped around his huge frame as if he were merely a piece of furniture.

"He doesn't!" Simmons countered.

"Then why is he here?" Eric yelled, the tone of his voice booming around the room.

"Actually, pal, I do know about your little 'project'." Carter said smugly as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and began walking around, checking out the make-shift lab. He was nodding to himself in appreciation of the sight of all of the state-of-the-art machines that surrounded him. He looked the complete opposite of his former colleague, and it was hard to picture the both of them ever working together.

Eric looked as if he didn't know which of the men to tear apart first, he was absolutely fuming with rage. I carefully backed up to the wall behind me, keeping my distance.

"I'm not your 'pal' and I didn't tell you anything about this! I havn't spoken to you for months!" Simmons shouted infuriated. He was just as wound up as Eric, and I could tell that this was the truth.

"Eric, Simmons is right," I said quickly, "Carter must have found out another way."

Eric then turned his attention back to Carter, and with the speed that only vampires can achieve, he was suddenly right in his face, all six foot four of his body looming over him, "Tell me how you found out about this. I'd like to know before I kill you!" he growled.

Carter smiled again, clearly enjoying whatever game it was that he was playing, "Oh, you don't want to be killing me, brother. You see, I have collected proof of what you're up to here and left it with a good buddy of mine. I told him that if he doesn't get a phone call from me within the next couple of hours, he's to pass it on to a certain group of people that I'm sure you want to keep from finding out about all of this. The Fellowship Of The Sun I believe they are called.

"They should find it mighty interesting that vampires might soon have the chance to walk amongst us during the day. I imagine that they will want to take action, and that it won't be pretty for your kind."

"You're bluffing!" Eric snapped.

"If you're really sure about that, pal, then here I am, do your worst." Carter smirked lifting his arms out to his sides, inviting the vampire to call the suspected bluff in.

But Eric's expression changed slightly, "You still havn't told us how you found about this, and what proof it is that you think you have."

Eric had obviously decided that he needed to back down for a moment to weigh up the situation more carefully before he took more drastic action.

"Well it was a stroke of luck really," Carter began, "I happened to be in town a week or so ago. I'd been in a bar down the road to knock a few back, and when I left and couldn't find a cab, I happened past this place. I didn't come in, vampire clubs arn't really my thing, but you can just imagine my surprise when I saw my old friend Simmons here from across the street, leaving the place for the night.

"Out of curiosity I came past here the next day, and I saw him again, this time going in, in the middle of the day. _That's strange_, I thought to myself. _Why on earth would he be coming here when the vampires won't even be up yet?_

"Then when I saw all the lab equipment arriving, it got me rather curious. So I hacked into your little computer over there once you'd finally turned it on. You always did leave the documentation to the last minute, Simmons." he quickly looked at the professor before addressing Eric once more.

"And I was amazed at what I saw, I truly was. A journal describing the nature of the project. The vampire vaccine. The miracle that would render sunlight harmless to you all. I told myself that I really must get in on this. And that is why I'm here.

"The only damn problem was, Simmons here didn't put the formula in there. Not a single one of it's damn components is listed, so I couldn't replicate it. However, I saved a copy of all the journal files. This is the proof that I was talking of. Every single word that was typed will be read by the Fellowship in just a few short hours if you don't do exactly as I say."

"Why are you doing this?" Simmons shouted.

Carter turned to face Simmons again, "The same reason as you, brother. Money, and lots of it. See I had a bit of bad luck at the track recently. Lost what little I had. So I need to find a way to get rich, and quick."

"But this is _my_ invention! You're not entitled to anything that it makes!"

"But we were partners. I just figured that in mind, that you'd help me out."

"If by 'partners' you mean that I let you take half the credit for all of my work after you'd started on the whisky!" Simmons scoffed sarcastically.

"Oh come now. Don't be like like." Carter chuckled.

"I will _never_ tell you the formula!"

"You don't need to, I'll just be taking the batch that you've already made up. I'll analyse it to find out exactly what you've put in there so I can make up some of my own." as he said this, he eyed the vaccine-filled beaker greedily.

"No!" Simmons screeched as he reached his free hand out towards the beaker, Eric also rushed towards it in attempt to secure it's contents.

What happened next happened so fast I could hardly take it in. Simmons deliberately pushed the beaker of vaccine off the work bench, the glass smashing into a gazillion pieces as it hit the floor, the contents spilling freely down a drainage grate.

He then rushed towards Eric and quickly stabbed the syringe into his leg, injecting the vaccine into his system before removing it and throwing it to the floor. Eric yelled out in surprise and gripped a hand to the area the needle had pierced.

"No!" Carter yelled as he ran to the professor and started shaking him by the shoulders, "You stupid fucking idiot! Why did you do that?"

As the two scientists began to shout at one another again, I saw that Eric had become unsteady on his feet, his whole body trembling like an earthquake. I watched on in horror as he collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain.

"Eric!" I yelled as I rushed to his side, crouching down beside him, but he was writhing in agony and he suddenly looked even paler then usual, which believe me, was saying something. I felt completely useless and had no idea how to help him.

When Eric's body suddenly went completely limp and silent, I felt a surge of panic that sent my heartbeat racing with intoxicating fear. I shook him hard repeatedly but he didn't respond, "No! Please...Eric!" I yelled at his immobile body, willing him to come around, tears uncontrollably falling from my eyes.

I sprang back up to my feet and yelled at Simmons, "What's happening to him? Please help him!" I begged, shaking so much I thought I was going to throw up.

But the professor didn't get chance to answer, let alone come to help Eric. Carter punched him hard in the face, smashing his glasses and sending him flying off his feet, his head hit the floor so hard that it immediately knocked him out cold.

Carter then turned his attention on me as he walked closer, "I'm sorry about this, sweetheart, but I'm afraid that you are all gonna have to take a little trip with me." with that he pulled a gun out from the waist of his pants, I quivered with fear at the sight of it as he quickly brought the handle down hard on the back of my head.

I fell to the floor dazed, my skull throbbing painfully, knowing that it wouldn't be long before I passed out myself. But before everything went completely black as my consciousness slipped away, I squinted through my pain-induced narrowed eyes, and saw Carter take out his cell phone. "Hey, Doug," he said into it, "Get the guys down here I have three... _hostages_. Oh and tell our boy, Danny that it's time he lit up the dance floor."

I didn't like the sound of that, but it was too late. I didn't even have the strength to read his mind any more. My eyes finally closed, and that was the last thing that I could remember, though I could swear in those last cloudy seconds, that I could heard the sudden sounds of panicked screams coming from upstairs.


	4. PART 4

**AUTHOR NOTE: **My sincere apologies that it has taken me so long to update this story. Unfortunately, I have had a lot of problems recently which have kept me from doing all the things I love in the world, such as my writing. Anyways, for those of you who still want to read it, here's PART 4...

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-4**

My eyes started to open slowly and stiffly. I was becoming aware of bright lights and the blur of a shape that was somebody sitting in front of me. The outline got stronger, until eventually, my eyes were fully focusing and I saw Carter at a cluttered desk, busy making notes on a pad.

I felt as though I was lying on something soft and comfortable, and when I eventually managed to turn my head slightly, paying dearly for the movement with a dull pain, I could see that it was because I had been placed on a couch.

It was a strange and messy looking room. There was paperwork and all sorts of pieces of junk strewn all over the place. An old and unstable looking filing cabinet teetered in the corner, a small flat screen TV precariously balanced on top. It was turned on, but as it was angled slightly away, I couldn't quite make out the picture from where I was lying.

The room was completely silent apart from the sound of Carter's pen scratching away at the paper, and a clock ticking from somewhere on the wall behind me.

Though I felt like hell and could just as easily have given up completely and never move a muscle again, I knew I had to confront the situation.

I somehow managed to get myself into a sitting position, though it zapped the last of the energy from my tired, aching body. As my head started to throb even more, I found myself gasping aloud, reaching a hand to the lump that had now formed under my hair, horrified at how big it felt.

"Theres coffee in the pot if you want some." Carter said without looking up from whatever it was that he was writing.

It wasn't really the first thing that I had expected him to say, so it took me by surprise.

When I didn't make any sort of response, but just stared cautiously at the Scotsman instead, he turned and met my gaze. "It's quite safe, I can assure you. I've not laced it with poison if that's what you're worried about."

"I think I'll pass any way." I said stubbornly.

Carter chuckled, amused, "Suit yourself." He then turned back to continue his writing.

"Where's Eric?" I demanded.

"Hes safe. For now."

"I want to see him. Now." I said firmly, getting up onto my unsteady feet.

I fear you are rather fond of that vampire. Never could quite understand the fascination that some of us humans have with them. Sure, their blood is supposed to be something quite special if we consume it. And as for the sex...well, I heard they are pretty damn good in that department, too. But really, it's quite disgusting, don't you think? Doing the horizontal tango with some dead freak?"

"I really don't think that it is any of your business what Eric is to me. I just want to see if he is alright." I said.

Carter dropped the pen that he'd been writing with, leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to the side to look at me, "He's fine, okay." he let out a heavy sigh, "You can see for yourself." he then motioned toward the TV and I finally noticed what it was showing.

Wherever Eric was being kept, there was a camera on him. He was lying on the floor, his long body sprawled out in an awkward looking position. He still looked unconscious. Though Carter had told me that he was alright, there was really no way of telling for sure from the picture that was presented before me.

"Take me to him, "I said my eyes still fixed on the screen, the words came out merely a whisper.

"You're hardly in a position to be asking for any favours," Carter mused as he stood up and joined me by the TV, "Though I might be willing to trade if you'll be kind enough to do a little something for me first..." his words didn't sink in straight away, I was too pre-occupied with the on-screen image of Eric, my eyes desperately searching for a sign of even the slightest movement, but when I felt Carter's hand on me, rubbing my thigh, I jumped back.

"How dare you touch me!" I yelled, furious at his attempt to violate me. I backed up, ending up back by the couch.

Carter grinned and chuckled. He was finding this highly amusing, "Oh come on, sweetheart. Don't tell me that you only reserve yourself for those un-dead freaks?"

I couldn't move back any further, I was trapped, the only door being right across the opposite side of the room. I needed to stall him somehow, so I decided that it was time for a subject change., "How did you get into Fangtasia? I don't remember you saying how you managed to get past the vampires in the club. And how, "I continued, "Did you manage to get me, Eric and Simmons out?"

Thankfully, Carter stopped just before he reached me, "Getting in that place was no problem. I used a clever little trick that is often quite effective; I sneaked through the back door when no-one was looking.

"But then, getting you all out? Well I'm afraid that took somewhat of a distraction. After I phoned my guys, they went in with flame throwers. I heard that vampires don't care for fire all that much."

My stomach lurched as I thought about how many people that had been in the club. Not just the vampires, of course, but the humans, too.

Pam. I wondered if she survived the fiery slaughter.

"So," Carter continued, "We got a clear escape with you. Took a heck of a lot of us to carry blondie. Hes got quite a structure that fella, hasn't he?"

"Where are you keeping Simmons?"

"Bastard is still out cold. Put him in another room. After he destroyed that first and only batch of vaccine he'd made, I figured it was necessary to bring him along so as I can convince him to give up the formula."

"What makes you think that he'll tell you anything? He seemed quite determined not to let you have it before." I stated, remembering how stubborn the professor's thoughts had been on that matter.

"Well pain's a funny thing, really. It can make people say things that they normally wouldn't."

"You're going to torture him, arn't you?" I said horrified, as the realisation sank in.

"Hes given me no choice. His discovery will make me _very_ rich, and I'm willing to do anything for it. I'll not let a chance like this slip past me."

"Theres just one problem with all of this. Eric is _very_ important to the other vampires. He is sheriff of what they call area five. When it's realised that he is missing, they will begin searching for him. I wouldn't like to be you when they find us here."

Carter laughed, "After the mess that we left that club in, they won't be able to tell whose body is which. They'll just assume that he too, met a terrible end in there. We made sure that we did a proper job of it, so I really don't think I've anything to be worrying about."

I hated to admit it, but he was right. If the bodies found in the club were as badly burnt as he said, it would be next to impossible to identify individuals.

I couldn't even begin to imagine the chaos that must have surrounded everyone in the club in those last moments. My mind went back to when I was in the lab, hearing the screams before I'd passed out.

I suddenly felt weak, so I allowed myself to plummet back onto the couch, though my brain was yelling at me, telling me to get up and find a way out of my prison.

My heartbeat quickened as I saw flashes in my mind, and though they were not real, I could see the faces of the vampires, their fangs out when confronted by the intruders, ready to defend themselves. Their confident, predator expressions turning to abstract terror seconds before the flames licked violently at their bodies.

So vivid was my mental imagery, that I could almost smell the charred remains.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Carter said as he sat beside me, "I've no intention to hurt you, so long as you can be of use." he then reached a hand up to my cheek, making me shiver with disgust.

I was so worked up, I felt a sudden burst of adrenalin rocket through me, and I lunged at him, clawing at his face with what fingernails I had.

"You fucking bitch!" Carter yelled in pain, and as he squirmed away, he fell off the edge of the couch.

Once he hit the floor, I jumped up, and started to punch and kick him, and basically do everything that I could to immobilise him.

I was actually surprised at myself for the sudden outburst, but Carter's yelps of pain only encouraged me to carry on, "I really think that you should learn to use better language when speaking to a lady!" I yelled for the sake of it.

After a few more moments I decided to make a run for it. I sprang towards the door, but I fell down hard when Carter suddenly found the strength to manoeuvre himself along the floor enough to go after me, grabbing my bare left ankle in a strong vice-like grip.

As I came in contact with the rough, dirt-stained neglected carpet, I writhed around trying to work myself free from Carter by kicking out as hard as I could at his face with my free foot. After several attempts at getting my aim on target, I finally felt my shoe make contact with his skull, forcing him to loosen his grip as his head lolled to the floor, his whole body unwilling to comply to his mind's instructions to carry on attacking me.

I scrambled back up onto my feet, and this time, I made it to the door. Carter had been stupid enough not to have locked it, so I quickly pushed it open, finding myself coming out into a narrow hallway of stained-white walls.

There were doors at either end, and I paused for a moment, unsure which one I should try.

Knowing I didn't have enough time to be picky about my choice, I found myself turning right, running as fast as I could until I'd reached the door. After opening it, I realised that I had made a huge mistake. Two pairs of very unfriendly eyes were suddenly looking across at me, their owners sat at a small fold-out table, their poker game disturbed by my entrance. A cloud of white billowed about the one's head as he exhaled his cigarette smoke.

It was then that I did the only thing that I could do. I pivoted back around and ran down the hall towards the other door, hoping this time, that it would lead me to a better escape route.

I could hear the hurried footsteps of the men following after me. I couldn't believe that I'd managed to forget that Carter had accomplices, and from their thoughts, I could tell that they were not going to take my escape attempt likely.

As I burst through the door, I found myself inside a huge warehouse-like room. It was poorly illuminated by a few hanging light bulbs high up in the steel rafters. I looked this way and that desperately, trying to get some sense of a plan worked out before the men, and Carter, caught up to me.

I noticed a row of tall storage shelves stretched out along one side of the far wall, extra ones junctioned onto those that jutted out at regular intervals, all jam-packed with god knows what kind of junk.

I decided to run over to those as there wasn't another door at the end which I was at, though I couldn't see if I would have any more luck down that end due to a mountain of tyres that were heaped in such a way, that they formed a wall which sectioned off the far corner, blocking my view of what was beyond.

As I ran, I could feel the lumps of metal fillings and debris under the soles of my shoes creating an uncomfortable feeling on the bottom of my feet as if I had a million tiny stones in them.

I persevered, and was finally closing in on the distance between me and the black rubber barrier, when I could hear the shouts from behind; "Get back here, bitch!" one of the men yelled, while the other was content with a warning line that sounded as if it had been borrowed straight from a lame-ass action movie; "Stop or we'll shoot!"

I ducked behind the momentarily safety of the tyres, desperately trying to work out my next move. I crouched down just as a shot rang out, a bullet whizzed through the air above the old tyres my head. I was running out of time. I found myself wishing that Eric were right here beside me so that he could vamp-out and bite the crap out of our assailants.

Eric. I needed to find him. _Now_.

I looked behind me and saw a door of tarnished metal. I hastily made my way to it, trying the handle, but it wouldn't budge. I made attempt after attempt, but it was useless. It was locked.

"Oh please..." I gasped breathless, turning to rest my back against the cool metal, hoping that luck would decide to change for me if I pleaded out loud. Maybe even god himself would hear me and decide to intervene.

"There's nowhere to run, Sookie, so you may as well co-operate." I heard Carter yell from the other side of the tyre-heap, seconds before I could see him round the end of the row with his buddies, walking towards me with their guns pointed at my head.

I was trapped. Again.

"Go to Hell!" I hissed at them, streaks of sweat running down my face.

Carter laughed, his blood-smeared face amused. He held his hands up in mock surrender, "Ohhhh, come on darlin', surely you don't mean that."

"I can assure you that I mean everything that I say to pond-scum like yourself!" I snapped.

Carter sighed, "Look, I really don't have time for all this nonsense, so I'll tell you what. How about I go take you to see your bit of fang, then we can all calm down and get back to work. Deal?"

A compromise? That surprised me, I have to admit.

Possibilities whirled around in my mind, but my choices it seemed, were extremely limited, so it came down to one thing. I'd let Carter take me to Eric, and hopefully if he got conscious soon, we could work out an escape plan together. After all, having the vampire on my team meant that we had a sure advantage.

I let myself look defeated and allowed Carter to grab me around my right wrist, "That's it lass. See how well we can all get along when you just give us a chance." he said, his tone condescending.

With his free hand, Carter removed a bunch of keys from his pocket, and opened the metal door.

As he lead me through a dark, damp-smelling passage, I couldn't stop thinking about what state Eric's 'health' would actually be in. I sucked in a big lung-full of air, silently praying that the enough of the Vikings thousand year vampire strength was left inside of him to get us both out of here alive.


	5. PART 5

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-5**

Eventually we came to the end of the passage and Carter unlocked another door. Stepping through, I could see that we were in a more sterile room now. There was some sort of long computerised panel set in front of a huge window, it's various lights blinking in a seemingly random order. A scrawny man in a white lab coat was sitting quietly looking at something on a small built-in screen.

Carter let go of me knowing that I was trapped enough not to try anything stupid, so I walked forward and looked through the glass seeing Eric lying on the floor in the small room next door. Relieved to be that much closer to him, I watched the vampire in silence, my hands pressed against the glass either side of me.

Eric's room was dimly lit, black ribbed panels covered the walls, a world apart from the bright observation room that the rest of us were in. I wondered if the glass was one-way like in police interrogation rooms. Probably.

"Are we ready to go ahead with the first test?" I could hear Carter asking the man at the computer equipment.

"Yes, we're all set here."

"Good. Let us get on with it then." I turned just in time to see Carter holding a finger just above a button.

"What does that do?" I asked him, panic infecting my voice.

Carter withdrew his finger a little and focused on me, smiling, "Well your boy Eric here is about to make history...or not..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Seeing that the sun is up now, I thought we'd go for a little experiment." he chuckled.

It was then that I realised I had no idea of what time it was. During my escape attempt, I'd not seen a single window, and I'd stupidly forgot to steal a glance at the clock in the other room. It wasn't surprising that Eric wasn't stirring. The vampires always fell asleep during the day, regardless of if they were in a room where the sun was blacked out.

"You see," Carter continued, "as Eric is already dosed up with the vaccine, I would very much hate to miss an opportunity to see what happens to him when we expose him to the sun. So, at the press of this button, some of those panels in there will slide back and shed a bit of light on him."

"No!" I shouted, I stomped angrily over to Carter, "If the vaccine doesn't work Eric will die!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Sometimes science requires a guinea pig, and you'd be doing well to remember that."

"I won't let you do this!" I snapped, shoving Carter away from the panel as hard as I could to stop him from pressing the button.

Carter hardly flinched at my behaviour, instead, he nodded at the two men who'd followed us into the room before, and they grabbed a hold of me from both sides.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, but it was of course, no use.

"Sookie," Carter sighed, "you should really count yourself lucky right now, because if this _does_ work, you will be a front-row witness to an amazing advancement for your vampire playthings."

"Please don't do this! This is between you and Simmons. Eric has done _nothing_ to you!" I shouted as I struggled hopelessly in the grip of the two men.

Carter simply grinned maliciously, then turned his focus back onto the button which he pressed immediately without a conscious thought.

I continued to shout and scream, tears falling like a pipe had burst in my eyes as I was forced to watch Eric through the glass as sections of the black panels on the walls and ceiling in his room started to slide into themselves with the sound of the mechanism humming and vibrating. Rays of sunlight started shooting through the ever growing gaps, the beams stretching across every surface of the room, pushing and swelling through the shadows until they had crept up on Eric.

I swear at that moment, my heart felt as if it had stopped and life was thrown into slow motion, our fates shaken and thrown into a precipice, fighting to get through the other end of uncertainty unscathed.

The saying 'brace yourself' was running through my mind as well of thoughts about closing my eyes so as not to witness what was about to unfold in front of me, but no matter how hard I willed myself, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off Eric.

As the light moved across Eric's body, I cringed, expecting him to inevitably burst into flames at any moment; dreading the destruction of one of these almost impossible, but fascinating beings. Horrified at the thought of losing someone that I had a lot of feelings for.

But nothing happened.

Eric still lay upon the floor, and as far as I could tell, he was unharmed by the brightness of light that showered him. In actual fact, he looked somehow glorious, his blonde hair shining and golden around his face.

I let out a huge relieved breath, realising that I had been holding it in for what seemed like an eternity.

Reactions then started from everyone else in the observation room, Carter was practically bouncing up and down on the spot, letting out a little cheer, while the other men whooped with excitement and awe, mouths agape at the sun-drenched vampire.

I couldn't help but smile a little myself then. Despite all of the insanity that surrounded me, something truly amazing had happened here.

"Let me in there!" I shouted through the ecstatic atmosphere.

Carter, still smiling, turned to face me, "I'll give you a minute with him before we start conducting the rest of our tests."

"_More_ tests?"

"Yes, of course. We need to dissect him to get a better idea of the effects the vaccine has had on his insides."

"You went through this, just so you could kill him anyway?" I yelled exasperated at my captor.

"Yep. Basically." Carter mused.

"When I get out of here, I'm gonna make sure that every vampire hears about what you have done. You'll never be safe again!" I threatened.

Carter laughed, "Sweetheart, you're not gonna get outta here. You've seen to much." then, without warning, he suddenly whipped his gun out and pointed it at me. I had another 'slow motion' moment as I watched his finger about to squeeze the trigger, my legs trembled, barely able to keep me upright.

A sudden crash from behind averted Carter's attention, and he took a new aim at the door.

I ducked out of the way and scrambled underneath the computer panel, looking up to see that it was Simmons who had forced entry through the door, holding up a gun of his own.

The professor's glasses had long since gone so he was squinting at Carter. He fired a round at his ex colleague, but the bullet went wide and planted itself into the computer panel instead, shattering some of it's components.

It was Carter's turn to take a shot, the professor diving out of the way just in time. He landed on the floor just inches away from me. Dried blood from his previous injuries was caked onto his face and matted into what little was left of his hair. Though not being exactly at the peak of physical fitness, Simmons somehow found more energy and fired out more shots just as the other men in the room were coming at him. He hit two of them square in the chest, sending them to the floor to land in a pool of their own blood.

The man who had been in charge of operating the computer panel nervously ran past us and out of the room once the barrage of gunfire had stopped again. He'd obviously only been hired for his scientific capabilities, rather then on the merit of bravery.

Carter was soon aiming his gun at Simmons again, but the professor got a shot in before he could react, the bullet penetrating Carter's upper right thigh. Falling to the floor, he cursed Simmons in the foulest of language until he turned the palest of white and passed out, his leg continuing to pour with blood.

Simmons shot to his feet and started going through Carter's pockets. When he found what he was looking for, a bunch of keys, he reached out and pulled me up off the floor.

"Quick! We need to get the hell out of here!" he said, stating the obvious as he encouraged me out of the door.

"I'm not going anywhere without Eric!"

"Very well." Simmons sighed, and we searched out the door that would lead us to Eric. He unlocked the door, and I sprinted in, crouching down next to the vampire.

"Eric!" I yelled, shaking him hard.

"Quickly!" Simmons begged me, "Others will be here soon! They'd have heard the gunshots!"

"Wake up, damnit!" I shouted again, and this time I felt a slight movement from Eric. I kept yelling at him, until finally, he opened his eyes and looked right at me.

"Sookie?" he said, dazed and confused, his eyelids fluttering like a deranged butterfly's wings, "What happened?"

"It's okay, Eric." I said soothingly, "We just gotta get out of here, I'll explain everything later."

Eric somehow managed to shift himself up into a sitting position, and as I moved out of his way, he stood up slowly, straightening out his tall frame.

I grabbed his hand and started towards the door, but Eric stopped me. I turned my head to see that he had just noticed the fact that he was stood in a sunlit room, and was still alive. He looked around, staring at the open panels in complete amazement.

His expression was suddenly that of a child who was seeing the world for the very first time, somehow fresh and innocent. He hadn't just woken up in body, he'd woken in spirit too.

He reached his free hand into the air before him, watching with fascination at how the light painted his skin. Smiling widely, he then met my eyes, "Sookie, it worked!"

"Yes. It did." I smiled back, enjoying the pleasure that Eric was finding in this moment.

"I can hear footsteps! We have to move, NOW!" Simmons shouted from the door frame, interrupting the special moment.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-5**

After running through a labyrinth of hallways, we finally found an exit. The only problem was that we appeared to be on an upper level, so we still needed to find our way down.

As we moved across a rooftop, Eric kept hesitating, taking the time to look around at the world in the bright daylight. As much as I wanted to share in his delight, I knew that we didn't have time to celebrate just yet. Not until we had put this god forsaken place behind us.

I kept pulling at his arm, urging him to move faster, as Simmons ran up ahead trying to find a fire escape or some other way to climb down off the building.

"Quick! Over here!" Simmons suddenly yelled as he reached the edge of the roof.

As me and Eric reached his side, we peered over and saw that there was a rusty metal ladder attached to the wall.

"Sookie, you go first." Eric said. I started climbing down steadily, the ladder shaking slightly as I went. I just hoped that it could stand all of our weight.

I was concentrating so hard on the descent, that I hadn't noticed the absence of Eric and Simmons until I had gotten about half-way.

Then I heard the gunshot.

Any sensible person would have continued down the ladder to reach safety, but I started climbing back up. Something had gone wrong, and I had to see if Eric and the professor were okay.

As my head popped back up over the edge of the building, I could see that Carter had regained consciousness and had managed to follow us, even though his injured leg was still bleeding badly. _Jeez_, the guy was like a damn cockroach!

Eric was trying to get the gun off Carter, but something seemed off. He didn't seem to have much strength and was struggling against his opponent.

Simmons was backing away from the scuffle, so I pulled myself back onto the roof, snatched his gun from the waistband of his pants, and pointed it over to Carter.

"Hey!" I shouted, "Drop the gun or I'll put a bullet in you, Carter!"

"Sookie!" Eric yelled as he continued to battle things out with Carter, "Get Simmons out of here! He's important and needs protecting!"

In other words, he wanted me to leave him there so we could save ourselves.

I felt conflicted. In any normal circumstances I would have done as Eric had asked, quite confident that he'd be able to take care of himself up against a human. But the vampire was obviously weak from what his body had gone through, so I didn't feel as though I could take off, not if something could happen to him.

I stepped closer to the fight, the gun in a shaky hand.

Carter caught a glimpse of me past Eric's arm, and laughed, "You're no killer, sweetheart, so why don't you put that little pistol down, huh?" he said in his breathless Scottish tones.

I stood my ground, but suddenly, Eric fell backwards and Carter yet again, pointed his gun at me.

This time he got to squeeze the trigger.

In the blink of an eye, something moved in front of me, catching the bullet that was meant for me in a yell of pain. Simmons fell down next to my feet and I screamed, dropping the gun.

Distracted, Carter took aim once more, but Eric had shot to his feet, and with one almighty shove, sent the mad scientist flying off the rooftop, his body fell like a boulder through the air. There was a sickening thud as he hit the ground below, and even from up here, I could see that his head was cracked open, blood gushing out and spreading across the asphalt underneath.

I jumped when Eric touched my arm from behind. He pulled me back from the edge, then kneeled down next to Simmons.

The professor's breath was ragged, the wound near his heart was bleeding out fast. His eyes were barely even registering that me and Eric were there.

"We must get him to a hospital." Eric said to me, "He can't die or the formula dies with him."

Though I was no doctor, I knew that we'd never get him medical attention in time.

As the professor's body went silent and still, Eric stared disbelieving, the last hope for vampires was gone. Without Simmons or his formula, they'd always be confined to darkness.

I rested a hand on Eric's shoulder, "I'm sorry." I told him, though the words seemed pitifully small for such a tragic situation.

"I should have done more, Sookie. This man was the key to everything, I'm proof of that."

"There was nothing more that you could have done. It wasn't your fault. If anything, it is mine. If I hadn't come back up the ladder..."

"I do not blame you," Eric said solemnly as tears of blood leaked from his eye, "You are brave and loyal to me. It was only natural that you would want to try and help."

I crouched down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder. "C'mon," I said softly, "There might still be others to come after us. We need to get going."

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-5**

We recovered the keys that Simmons had taken from Carter, and after running around the parking lot for a few moments, trying our best to stay out of sight in case Carter's other men spotted us, we discovered that one of those keys was for a red Mercedes convertible. Being deserted in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, we were left with no choice but to 'borrow' it.

Eric had insisted on driving, though I was reluctant at first to let him take the wheel. I was still worried about him. There was definitely something more venerable about him right now, and it reminded me of the time that he'd had amnesia. He had lost himself then, and in some ways he had now.

He'd been given the amazing gift of sunlight, albeit for a very limited time, and his whole body was in effect, a walking time bomb. We had no way of knowing exactly how long the vaccine would carry on working.

"We should get you somewhere out of the sun as soon as possible." I said, looking over at him from the passenger seat, the wind whipping our hair around as we shot up a highway to god knows where.

Eric sighed, "Sookie, if you had not seen the sun for a thousand years, would you not want to spend as much time as you could in it? The professor is dead and we'll never have any more of the vaccine. I am not ready to go back into the dark just yet."

"I understand that, Eric, I do. But we don't know when the vaccine will ware off, theres still a chance you could..."

"Die." he said, finishing off my sentence.

"Yes."

"We are all going to die one day, Sookie, even us vampires. I do not believe that any one of us is meant to walk the earth forever." he said matter-of-factly.

"Don't you talk like that!" I snapped, disgusted with his negative attitude, "Besides, maybe one day someone else will work out another vaccine."

"Perhaps." Eric responded simply.

"You can't give up hope, Eric. If you give up on that, then we all might as well be dead already."

Eric chuckled slightly before he continued, "That is what I admire about you, Sookie. Even in the bleakest of times, you are somehow able to find a good reason to keep anchored to this life."

"I have to, even if I'm a fool for doing so." I sighed.

"You are not a fool, Sookie. And though this is the last time that I will see the sun, at least I know that I'll always have a little light with you around." with that, he quickly looked from the road to me, smiling bravely.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-5**

Desperately needing to get cleaned up, I asked Eric to pull into a motel that we came across on our drive. We paid for a room for a couple of hours, though I imagined that Eric would want to get back outside in the sun as soon as possible. I was still debating wether this was a good idea or not.

Luckily the motel's manager didn't comment on our general appearance as he took the payment from Eric's credit card and handed us our key, though I was pretty sure that I must have looked an absolute fright. Eric, of course, had still somehow managed to stay close to perfect-looking.

Once we got inside the room, I collapsed onto the king-sized bed, landing face down in the plump pillow, shutting my eyes. After a few moments, I lifted my head just enough so that I could speak without my words being muffled by the polyester.

"You wanna use the shower first, or shall I?" I asked Eric.

When I got no reply, I opened my eyes and lifted right away from the pillow and started to turn my head, "Eric? I..." then the rest of the words that I was going to say were strangled silent by the breathtaking sight in front of me.

Eric had removed every last item of clothing, and was stood confidently naked and absurdly beautiful just inches away from me. The sunlight that poured in through the window bathed him in a glorious golden glow; a heavenly spotlight to illuminate the perfect features and contours of his finely sculpted body.

His eyes sparkled as he regarded me with an almost curious expression, whilst my own scanned him from head to toe, hungry to make the most of this moment.

I was suddenly ashamed of myself for staring at him, so I managed to avert my gaze, concentrating on the garish pattern on the wallpaper instead.

"Sookie, if it pleases you to look at me, I do not mind you continuing. There is really no need to be coy." he said softly as he sat down next to me. He then put a hand under my chin so that he could gently turn my head to face him once more, "Don't fight it..." he added in a whisper.

As our eyes met, I realised that I could no longer contain myself. There was only one thing that a girl could do once she had a naked Viking vampire on a bed.

I practically threw myself against him, our lips scrambling to meet, turning into a greedy passionate kiss.

My hands ran along his body, caressing and exploring the smooth flawless skin, enjoying how he felt to my fingertips.

Eric was soon yanking my dress upwards, so I pulled away from him just enough to give him the room to pull it off over my head.

Just as I was about to land another kiss, his hands ripped my panties off, then removed my bra. He then coaxed me to lean back, his hands gently positioning me down onto the mattress. Eric draped himself on top of me, his tongue finding skin, breast and nipple which he suckled on, a deep moan sounding in his throat.

The sensation as he filled me was nothing like I'd ever felt before, I yelled out as he moved within my wetness, my whole body being encouraged by his tender touches.

The pleasure was getting so intense that I found myself digging my fingernails into his back, which only pleased him more.

I felt as though I could hardly breath, and as I reached a climax, I was sure that it was possible that I might pass out. We both came at the same time, our bodies exploding into almost intolerable throbbing tingles of ecstasy.

I screamed out, shock waves taking over my whole body, rocketing through my whole system. Eric yelled out just as much, a symphony of satisfaction from the instruments that were our bodies.

For a while, aftershocks continued to rumble through us as our sweaty, exhausted bodies collapsed together, our skin wanting to stay fused for as long as possible.

There we lay panting, stuck to the damp sheets below us, tangled up as if that is how we were meant to remain for the rest of our lives.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-5**

It didn't occur to me until we'd recovered from our physical endeavours that Eric's fangs had not put in an appearance, which normally they never fail to do during sexual activity.

As I stared into his eyes, I wondered if we had come across a serious side effect to the vaccine...

**TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART 6 - COMING SOON...**


	6. PART 6

**AUTHOR NOTE: Well here is the sixth and final part of the story! Big thanks to all of you for reading, and I hope that you will enjoy the conclusion! I'd love to know what you all thought, so reviews would be very much appreciated if you get the chance. :-)**

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-6**

It took me and Eric two attempts before we both managed to get showered. The first time I went in there, Eric had followed me in and we ended up entwined on the bathroom floor having another dose of mind-blowing sex. Yet again, his fangs were a no show.

After towel drying my hair and putting my clothes back on, I sat on the edge of the bed and Eric and I discussed all that had happened since Carter had taken us. I told him everything that I had experienced while he'd been unconscious. He was growing increasingly concerned about what had taken place at Fangtasia, and I could tell that he was anxious to find out wether or not Pam had survived.

"It is not often that I have found myself in the position of feeling this helpless." Eric said.

"There was nothing that you could have done. The vaccine completely knocked you out. Did it really quickly, too." I said in an attempt to reassure him.

Eric sighed as he paced the length of the room, his tall frame worrisome, "Still, if anything happened to Pam, I will never be able to forgive myself."

I could understand Eric's concern, but there was really nothing we could do until sun down. Even if Pam was okay, she would of course be asleep safe in her coffin right now.

"Look, maybe one of the humans that you employ are in the club now. We could call to see if they know anything." I suggested, hoping that this would help. "I remember seeing a pay phone out in the parking lot." Carter must have taken Eric's cell while he'd been holding us, which was an almighty inconvenience right now.

Eric stopped pacing then and looked at me, "Yes, of course." he said, "We must do that immediately."

Though it wasn't exactly the best time for it to happen, my stomach let out an angry growl, reminding me of how long it had been since I'd eaten anything.

"We must get you some food, as well." Eric said, a smile appearing on his face at last, apparently amused at my body's call for attention.

"What about you?" I asked him, "You must need blood."

"Well I certainly feel hungry." he said sighing.

"I just don't understand why your fangs havn't shown. The vaccine must have affected them. How do you feel right now, anyway?"

"I feel..._different_." he stated looking almost puzzled. "My hunger isn't the same. It is leaving me with much more of an emptiness then usual. It is a difficult feeling to describe."

"You'll have to have some of my blood." I told him, and even though my teeth were not as efficient as a vampire's fangs, I held my wrist to my mouth and bit into my skin as hard as I could, trying not to think about the pain too much as I did so.

Immediately, blood pooled out of the teeth shaped indents that I had made. There wasn't as much as there would have been if I'd been pierced with Eric's fangs, should they have been able to come out, but it would just have to do for now.

Eric approached me and took my arm, holding the freshly opened wound to his lips. I could feel him sucking, and it stung like a bitch. After a few moments, Eric released my arm, a strange expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, clutching my other hand around my wrist to stop the blood from going everywhere.

"I do not know," he replied, "It doesn't taste right."

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked, startled.

"I do not think so. It just doesn't appeal to me for some reason." he looked a mixture of disappointed and puzzled.

"Maybe you've just lost your appetite." I joked.

"But that doesn't make sense. I do feel hungry. _Very_ hungry."

"If we wait a little while, you might feel more like it later on." but even as I said it, I could see that Eric didn't look so sure about that.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-6**

After we had locked up our room and checked out, we used the pay phone to dial Fangtasia. There was no answer.

"We'll try again in a little while, okay?" I told Eric.

We then headed back onto the highway, Eric drove again, it seemed to relax him a little. As worried as he must have been, I could tell that he was still enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on his skin.

We soon came across a diner, so Eric parked up and we walked across the dusty gravel lot and went inside. It wasn't a very busy establishment, but the few patrons in there all looked up from their lunch with curiosity as we approached the counter, completely unaware they were now in the company of a day-walking vampire. Their thoughts were a jumbled mass. Some were thinking that they really didn't want to get back on the road to finish up their days work, and I even heard one thinking about what he'd like to do to me if only he could get me into the cab of his big-rig. I felt uncomfortable as we walked past his table, glad that I was safe next to Eric.

A slim woman with a thatch of silky red hair bunched up into a pony tail came to serve us. Her tight red T shirt was straining against huge breasts that carried the diner's logo. "Hi y'all, what can I do for you?" she said pleasantly looking from me to Eric, her smile widening as she took in his good looks. I let myself listen in to her thoughts, and wasn't at all surprised to hear that she was thoroughly impressed by him. Though she thought he looked ill and pale, she was wishing that she could pick up a guy like him instead of getting stuck with idiots like her loser boyfriend Carl. If only she knew the truth about Eric. She sure didn't look the type to run with vamps.

"I'd like to get something to eat, please." I told her.

"Sure thing, hun." the woman said, and reluctantly turned to face me again, "Go get yourselves seated and I'll bring you menus right away."

Me and Eric sat opposite each other in a booth in the farthest corner, keeping our distance from everyone else for privacy. Eric was still being very quiet, and was busy staring out of the window, his eyes taking in all that they could while they had the chance.

The red-head was soon striding over, and as she put the menus down on the table in front of us, she took a pad out of the pocket on the front of her white apron, "Can I get you a drink to start with?"

"I'll just have a cola," I said as I started to peruse the menu, already spotting what I wanted, "And the breaded shrimp with fries, please."

The waitress hurriedly jotted down my order then looked back up when she was finished, turning her attention to Eric, "And for you, sir?"

Eric looked from the window and regarded the waiting red-head for a few moments before he spoke, "I won't be needing anything, thank you." he told her abruptly before looking back out of the window.

The waitress looked a little surprised, and from her thoughts I could tell that she was feeling disappointed that Eric hadn't been a bit more pleasant to her. With that, she took back the menus and made her way back across the room and disappeared through the door which I was guessing, lead to the kitchen.

I leaned over the table slightly so that I could whisper to Eric, "Maybe we could find you a bottle of True Blood from somewhere. You need to have something."

"I cannot afford to let the other humans suspect what I am. For them to witness one of us out during the day would cause further problems." he sighed, his voice as low as possible, still keeping his eyes affixed on the sun-drenched world outside, "At any rate, I somehow feel it would not satisfy me."

"The vaccine must have really screwed around with your system if its made you go off blood."

"I am sure that once it wares off, I will be able to go back to my usual..._diet_."

"Speaking of, Eric, you need to be careful. We have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen to you if you keep in the sunlight."

Eric managed to tear his gaze from the window, "Have we not already had this discussion? Not only do I want to see out as much as the day is possible, but I also feel as though I owe it to Professor Simmons. He died so that I might have this chance. Is that really something that I should waste?"

"You don't owe him _anything_, Eric. It was his choice to involve you with all of this in the first place. He knew the risks of what he was getting himself into."

"Maybe so, but I am still going to honour the experiment."

For a moment, I swear I could see a hint of denial on his face. A sudden refusal to believe that this was over.

"There _is_ no more experiment, project or vaccine!" I told him sharply, "I'm sorry for that, I really am, but you have to snap outta this before you get hurt!"

"Why?"

"Because I care about you, you big idiot!" I said, utterly exasperated.

Eric looked taken aback at that comment, obviously not sure what to say next, but as it turned out, the waitress saved him from having to respond by bringing my food and drink.

I started to eat, aware of Eric's eyes on me the whole time. I was too tired and hungry to carry on the conversation for the moment.

"That smells..._delicious_." Eric suddenly said. I looked up noticing that he was leaning closer to my plate, sniffing.

I paused, fork in mid-air and watched him as he grabbed one of the pieces of shrimp, held it out in front of his face, turned it between his fingers and studied it. He certainly was a puzzle today.

I was further shocked when suddenly he put the shrimp into his mouth. He chewed with an initial uncertainty, but then seemed to get into the flavour.

"Eric? Why are you eating food?" I had to ask him. This of course was something that vampires never did.

"I...don't know, but it tastes good." he then reached for another piece and ate it more confidently and quickly this time, "My hunger is passing."

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, "The vaccines made you feel 'human'! That's why your fangs never came out. Its stopped your vampire impulses and given you human ones instead!"

Eric stopped chewing, "But Simmons didn't say he'd developed the vaccine to do that."

That's because he didn't know it would happen. It's one big side effect!"

"That's really quite remarkable." Eric smiled, "Then I am guessing that I should be able to feel some sign of when I will be about to become my usual self again. It may give enough warning so that I can get into the dark before it causes me any harm."

I pushed my plate nearer to the middle of the table before us, and we shared what was left. It was quite enjoyable watching Eric savour the taste of food for the first time since he'd been human. I could see that he was finding the whole experience fascinating, and he experimented by dipping the fries in various condiments to try out the rainbow of different tastes that they created.

Afterwards, Eric insisted on trying one of the desserts, settling for an apple pie with whipped cream. He was practically moaning with pleasure as he shovelled it into his mouth in heaped fork-fulls. I had to work hard at suppressing giggles. It really was a sight. I only wished that I'd had a camera on me so that I could record the moment forever.

It was getting late in the afternoon when we left the diner, Eric was stuffed full, but very much happier for it. We knew that we really needed to be finishing the drive home, as we couldn't put off what awaited us there for much longer. As we walked through the parking lot, I wondered what else Eric might have chosen to do during daylight, if only he'd had more time, and what other human-like indulgences he would have allowed himself. I had to resign to the fact that we'd never ever find out.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-6**

The sun was getting lower in the sky with every passing minute, a golden, pink and lavender hue painting the sky with a heavenly tranquillity. I was starting to relax now that the vaccine had lasted in Eric's system this long, however, he'd promised me that if he started to feel different (or about to burst into flames), that he'd jump out of the car so that I wouldn't get hurt for being in such close proximity. It wasn't very reassuring.

From the road signs that we passed, I could see that we were only twenty miles outside of Shreveport now. Twenty miles until we would find out the scale of damage that Carter and his men had wreaked upon Fangtasia.

Mixed thoughts ran through my head. Of course I hoped that Pam had somehow managed to get to safety in time, and that she'd be there to greet us when the sun went down, but the day that I'd had with Eric had been unique and wonderful in so many ways. Of course, we both could have done without being kidnapped, but even if I could somehow go back in time, I would very selfishly still want it to end this very way.

"Pull over." Eric said suddenly.

I was a little confused as to why he'd want to stop now that we were so close to home, but as I stole a glance at his face, something about his expression made me silently comply.

I stopped the car, the tyres crunching onto gravel as we left the asphalt and I applied the brakes. I glanced around quickly at our surroundings. Off to the side was a bayou, a broken down fence laced the sides of the murky water it once enclosed fully.

As I turned to look at Eric, he was opening the door and pacing across to the fence as if in a hurry to observe something. He didn't stop until he was right at the edge of the water.

I got out of the car and joined him. It was then that I noticed what had caught his attention.

"I had forgotten how beautiful a sunset could be." he said softly, his eyes focused on the sky above the water.

I had to admit, this was definitely not something I would have thought I'd ever hear from someone like Eric. He wasn't exactly the most sentimental being there was.

"No painting from an artist great, nor any photograph taken with the most expensive camera in the world could ever capture the sheer magnitude of the sight before us. It's vastness, it's possibilities, make _everything_ and _every one_ of us seem somewhat unimportant." he sighed.

"So this is something that you have missed the most after becoming a vampire?" I asked him.

"Yes. Though it might be unbelievable to yourself, I often watched the sun go down over my homelands before I was turned." the sound of his voice was tainted with sadness, "Maybe it is a silly thing."

"I don't think it's silly. I mean, you're right, nothing can compare to seeing this in person. It's just one of those things that us humans take for granted, I guess."

Eric looked at me then, and I met the intensity of his gaze, "Though I will never again get the chance to see this, Sookie, I would like you to know that I'm glad you are here with me now to share this moment with me."

He then went back to staring at the ever fading light, savouring the precious seconds that ticked by. I took his hand and together in silence we watched as the light slowly disappeared behind the horizon showing Eric his last sunset.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-6**

Eric hardly spoke for the rest of our journey, he seemed deep in contemplation, his mind absorbing the days events like a sponge.

As I pulled into Fangtasia's parking lot, we were greeted by several parked police patrol cars.

Eric practically leaped out of the car as soon as I braked, and approached the officers who appeared to be talking to somebody just outside of the door. I couldn't see who it was, as the officers were blocking them from my view.

I got out of the car quickly, and made my way over to them, noticing Pam flinging herself into Eric's arms. Two thoughts sprang to mind. Relief that she had survived, and two, that even though a lot had happened, how rare it was to witness the two sharing a moment of affection. It certainly wasn't something that Pam was in the habit of doing.

"Thank god you're alright!" I said happily just as the two vampires had released each other.

"Yes well, I managed to flee the club in time," Pam stated, "Unfortunately I can't say the same for the rest of the patrons." as she said this, she shot a glance to the club's main door. I hated to think what a mess it must have been in there right now.

"Mr Northman," one of the officers, a round-bellied, sweaty looking man, suddenly said, "We will need to ask you some questions."

Eric's expression turned serious as he spoke to the officer, "Of course."

"And were you here at the club last night?" the same man asked me."

"She was not," Eric answered for me, "She simply provided me with a safe place to stay during daylight."

The officer nodded, seemingly happy with the given response, his thoughts confirmed this.

"Sookie, you should go home now." Eric said, "I will have a lot to deal with here. There is no need for you to give up any more of your time."

"Are you sure that there is nothing I can do here to help?" I asked.

"Believe me, you don't want to it see inside. There are still body parts stuck to the floor." Pam dead-panned in her usual manner.

Well I certainly could do without seeing that kind of grizzly sight, and besides, I was feeling like I could fall down to the ground asleep at any moment. I was absolutely exhausted!

Before letting the officer lead him inside, Eric pulled me to one side, "Thank you." he said and leaned over to kiss me. It was tender and almost fragile. Just perfect.

As he pulled his head away from me, his fangs suddenly popped into sight making me jump a little.

Eric smiled solemnly, "Well I guess I'm back to being me again."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." I said genuinely.

"Ah, Sookie. What would I do without you?"

The moment ended when the police officer who'd spoken before asked Eric if they could get started. I watched as he followed him into the main door, ducking under the bright yellow crime-scene tape as they went through.

Now stood alone in the parking lot, I sighed and headed towards my car where I'd parked it last night, leaving the Mercedes abandoned. Eric would have to figure out a way to get rid of it later on, hopefully before the police found Carter, Simmons and the rest of the bodies at that old warehouse and linked it to them.

I drove home carefully, looking forward to crawling into my own bed, though I figured that it would be a good idea to call Sam first and explain why I'd not been to work that day. Of course, I would leave out the part of the story that involved mentioning the vaccine. Hearing about that would piss him off. He wasn't exactly a big fan of the vampires, so hearing that there had almost been a chance for them to be among us during the day, wouldn't go down to well.

What a long, long day it had been.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-6**

It took a few weeks for Eric to get Fangtasia up and running again. He'd had a team of builders, carpenters and decorators working around the clock to get things fixed up and restored back to its former glory. Luckily no damage had been done to the building's structure and afterwards, they had pretty much managed to get it to look exactly how it had done before, right down to the colours used throughout the club.

Eric's office had been left untouched, but the basement lab had been ransacked after we'd been taken, the equipment smashed to smithereens onto the floor.

Though I think deep down he knew it would come to nothing, Eric had also hired an independent scientist to see if he could make sense of anything that Simmons had used and set up in the lab before his death, in the hope that he might be able to discover something that just might lead them to uncover the formula for the vaccine.

He'd even asked the scientist to run tests on the grate and pipe in the floor, those which the beaker's contents had run into on that fateful night to see if any of the components could be identified.

Unfortunately the scientist informed Eric that the drain had too many contaminates, and it would be impossible to get anything conclusive from there.

As for the death toll, a total of twenty-five vampires, and thirteen humans died by the hands of Carter's gang that night. Eric was dedicating the club's grand re-opening to them, which I was invited to.

I turned up a little apprehensive. I had only seen Eric once since our little daylight-adventure, and I wasn't really sure what to expect from him. Things were now back to normal.

As I walked through the door, the loudness of the music assaulted my ears, the bass causing vibrations to rumble beneath my feet.

I carefully made my way through the crowds of vampires and fang-bangers, my eyes searching around the room as I went. You would never have been able to tell what had taken place here just weeks ago, it looked as if nothing had ever changed in here.

I stopped just short of the bar noticing Pam walking towards me, dressed in an extreme lacy-black ensemble, the trail of the long dress floating gracefully behind her.

"He's in his office." she said planting her hands on her hips, answering the question I hadn't yet asked, "I'm sure that he'll be grateful of your company as you havn't been to see him much recently."

"I would have, it's just that I had to help out Sam by working extra shifts at Merlotte's. It has been really busy there at the moment." I answered with a smile.

"It's not me that you should be explaining this to." she retorted, then dashed off in a blur of vampire speed leaving me to make my own way to the office.

**T-H-E-L-A-S-T-S-U-N-S-E-T-PART-6**

Eric was sat at his desk reading something in a newspaper when I entered his office, but he as he looked up and saw me, he pushed it aside slightly and smiled, "I'm so glad that you could make it this evening." he said in a pleasant tone.

"The place looks great!" I said, "Can't believe you got everything fixed so quickly."

"Yes, well it certainly took a lot of work. It has been worth it though."

"I'm glad that everything is back to normal now." I said sitting down across from him, soon realising that I had chosen the wrong words.

Eric sighed, "Normal seems so dull after experiencing the daylight, albeit very briefly. I only wish that I could have convinced Simmons to give me a copy of his formula when all of this had began."

"So I take it that you've still had no luck finding anything out from what was left of the lab?"

"No. And I don't doubt that that is how things shall remain."

"What about Carter's warehouse?" I had heard that Eric had sent some vamps over to search the entire building.

"We were able to safely recover and destroy the computer files that described the nature of the project before the police discovered the bodies. At least we will not have to worry about anyone finding out about any of it, or our involvement."

Eric then opened one of his desk drawers and removed something from it which he then handed to me. It was a cheque for two thousand dollars, "I promised that I'd pay you for your time." he smiled.

"Thank you. I guess I really wasn't expecting it to be so much." I told him as I stuffed the cheque into my purse. The money would sure come in handy, and it really was more then I thought I'd receive.

Eric leaned back in his chair, "You should go out there and enjoy yourself." he smiled.

I stood up, part of me hoping that he'd be coming with me, but he went back to staring at the newspaper, his eyes wide at the picture in front of him. A picture of Professor Simmons, bespectacled and smiling. I stood close enough to Eric's side that I could read the article.

It told how the professor and Ronnie Carter had been found dead, and that it had been presumed that Carter had killed Simmons before taking his own life by jumping off the roof of the abandoned warehouse in an act of professional jealousy. If only they had known the truth.

Seeing that Eric had completely dissolved into a silent contemplative mood, I decided to leave him alone with his thoughts. As I left the room, I had a feeling that it was going to take a while for him to let go of this completely.

I also knew deep down that things were going to be left unresolved between us again. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but like Eric, at least I'd still have the memory of our day together to hold onto.

**THE END**


End file.
